Process for the preparation of gunpowder by means of an acetone and alcohol solvent mixture



Patented Apr. 4-, 1939 UITD STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR THEPREPARATION OF GUN- POWDER BY MEANS OF AN ACETONE AND ALCOHOL SOLVENTMIXTURE Alfons Kunz, Fuzfo, Hungary, assignor to Nitrokmia IpartelcpckRszvnytarsasag, Budapest, Hungary, a Hungarian company No Drawing.Application November 10, 1936, Ssgial No. 110,191. In Hungary August 28,1 6

2 Claims. (01. 52-20) The invention relates to a process for theprepether causes an appreciable loss by evaporation. aration ofnitrocellulose gunpowder in which The ether-alcohol vapours form anexplosive process an acetone and alcohol solvent mixture mixture withair over a wide range of proportions is used. and in considerablygreater amount than the ace- 5 Nitrocellulose is gelatinised withorganic soltone-alcohol vapours. The ether has a tendency 5 vents inworking up into gunpowder. Processes for the formation of peroxide whichis dangerous are known in which very volatile solvents are used andcauses undesirable oxidation effects. Ether for gelatinising. In thecourse of time two procis also dearer than acetone and larger amountsesses have come tothe fore in industry, namely, are required for themanufacture.

the acetone and alcohol and the ether and alcohol The invention combinesthe advantages of the 10 processes. two processes above describedWithout the disad- In the acetone and alcohol process the nitrovantagesof the ether and alcohol process. cellulose alcoholised in known manneris added The good quality of the gunpowder obtained by to the acetone insuch quantity that there is obthe ether and alcohol process is due toits structained a mouldable gunpowder mass which can ture in which thenon-gelatinised material is 15 be worked up in presses. embedded asfiller in the gelatinised material.

Acetone is capable of dissolving nitrocellulose I have now found thatthe same structure can of every description. In the same way in the beobtained with the acetone and alcohol process above mentioned processthe acetone and alcohol by the proper selection of the proportions ofacemixture containing acetone in considerable quantone and alcohol inthe solvent mixture and the 20 tity is capable of dissolvingnitrocellulose of every respective qualities of thenitroeelh-llosesdescription. On this account, the solubility of A or toh v i n a ne and the particular nitrocellulose employed is of littlecohol mixture is employed f e preparation of consequence in the acetoneand alcohol process. nitrocellulose gunpowder, the acetone Content of 5On the other hand, in the ether and alcohol w h s le than as in the t era process for the preparation of gunpowder two alcohol process, anitrocellulose is employed, one kinds of nitrocellulose are used ofwhich one is par Of Which is Completely Soluble is t entirely soluble inthe ether and alcohol mixture, ised in the above mentioned solvent andthe other that is to say, will be gelatinised, whilst the other p s ypartially soluble partially gelatindissolves only to a small extent inthe ether and ed- 30 alcohol mixture, that is to say, is gelatinisedonly A pa y good result is b a ed if e to a small extent. In the etherand alcohol procamount of acetone in the so t xtu e is ess incontradistinction to the acetone and alcohol process, a nitrocellulosewith a high nitro- Water-free et yl eiCOhOl y h us s solV nt 5 gencontent which dissolves only to a small extent and also e usual 96%ethyl alcohol. 35 in the ether and alcohol mixture is embedd asFurthermore, a nitrocellulose with a nitrogen filler in a wellgelatinised nitrocellulose with low Content 0f less than ay be used asthe nitrogen content. matrix material and a nitrocellulose with a nitro-The structures of the gunpowders obtained in gen content above as fi theabove two processes are different so far as the e e at o ship betweenthe amount of the 40 manner and degree of gelatinisation is concerned,metriX material and the filler ay be si ar to which are quite different.The gunpowder 010- that usual in the ether and alcohol process, i. e.tained with the acetone and alcohol process is app y /5 /3 parts y weimatriX gelatinised entirely throughout, whilst the gunmaterial and to offiller.

5 powder obtained with the ether and alcohol process consists of agelatinised material as matrix in Example which is embedded an e a s dfi 27 parts by weight of nitrocellulose having a It as b found that thegunpowder D enitrogen content of 12.2% is taken as matrix mapared withthe ether and alcohol process is to a t m d, '73 parts by weight offinely t t considerable degree superior With regard o ts cellulose witha nitrogen content of 13.5% as 50 ball st properties to that Obtained bythe filler. The materials are thoroughly mixed and tone and a o processw v the e e after the alcoholising of the mixture, a solvent and alcohoprocess is pp y more e p mixture is added which consists of 27% acetonesive and more dangerous than the acetone and and 73% alcohol of 96%strength. The amount alcohol process. The low boiling point of the ofthe solvent mixture reckoned on the dry nitro- 55 cellulose is 0.85partby weight. The well wetted mass is then worked up in known manner togunpowder.

10 grammes of a dry nitrocellulose with 13.5% nitrogen content dissolvein 500 o. c. of the above mentioned solvent similarly as in the etherand alcohol mixture only to the small extent of 56%.

The matrix material given in the example with 12.2% nitrogen contentdissolves in the acetone and alcohol mixture mentioned just as easily asin the usual ether and alcohol mixture.

The gunpowder prepared has the same desirable properties as thatobtained by the ether and alcohol process with the same nitrogencontent.

The acetone may be partially replaced by methyl alcohol in the processaccording to the invention. In the example of the acetone may bereplaced by methyl alcohol.

' Nitro-glycerine may be added to the gunpowder mass in the processaccording to the invention in a similar manner as in the known acetoneand alcohol and ether and alcohol processes, if it is required toprepare a nitro-glycerine-contain ing gunpowder by a process in which asolvent is used.

I claim:

1. A process for preparing nitrocellulose gunpowder wherein a volatilealcohol-acetone mixture is employed for gelatinisatio-n and wherein theproportion of acetone used in said mixture is 25-35% and thenitrocellulose employed with this mixture consists of to parts by weightof a product with a nitrogen content of less than 12.5% and to parts byweight of a product with more than 13% nitrogen content.

2. A process for preparing nitrocellulose gunpowder, wherein a volatilealcohol-acetone mixture is employed for gelatinisation and wherein theproportion of acetone used in said mixture is 25-35% and thenitrocellulose employed with this mixture consists of 27% by weight of aproduct with a nitrogen content of 12.2% and 73% of a product with 13.5%nitrogen content.

ALFONS KUNZ.

